Page 116 of Intercept My Heart

“Boy, don’t make me beat you. There is nothing old about me. I’m in my prime,” I retorted, whipping my hair over my shoulder. In the midst of laughing with the boys, I noticed ablack Expedition behind us. I wouldn’t have been alarmed had this not been the third time I’d seen this particular car.

“Moolah, call your father.” He gave me a strange look before doing what I asked.

“What’s wrong?” A part of me didn’t want to say anything because I hoped I was being paranoid. However, my suspicions were confirmed when I turned on the street and headed toward our new house.

“What’s up, Son?” Dinero’s voice blared through the speakerphone.

“Baby, someone is following us.”

“Where are you? Hold on, I have your location. What does the car look like? Moolah and Cash, can either of you see anything? A license plate or anything?” The windows in his Lambo were tinted, so I didn’t have to worry about the driver seeing them.

“Yeah. Do you want me to take a picture or read it off to you?” Cash responded.

“Both, Son. Hurry up for me.” The urgency in his voice scared me. I’d never been in a situation like this, but the fear in his voice only increased mine.

“Done. It should be coming to your phone in a second.”

“What do you want us to do, Pops?” Moolah’s demeanor seemed so calm that it worried me.

“You know what I taught you. I’m on my way to y’all. If they make a move, do what you’ve got to do. Protect your mama and your sister at all costs. I love y’all.”

“We love you too, Pops,” the twins stated in unison. I took a couple more turns to see if they would retreat, but they followed us at every turn.

“Sunny baby, I know you’re scared, but I promise I’m only a few minutes away, and the police are also on the way. Stay on the open roads. Do not stop the car no matter what, okay?Breathe for me, baby.” I attempted to follow his instructions, but the feeling of us being hit from behind sent me into a panic. The phone slipped onto the floor, and I was too afraid to bend down and pick it up.

“Ahh!”

“They keep ramming into us! They’re trying to run us off the road.”

“Don’t stop driving, Sunny! No matter what happens, keep your foot on the gas. Do you hear me?” Dinero yelled through the phone. Panic settled deep inside of me, but I tried to put on a brave face. I couldn’t break down while my children were with me.

The other car drove erratically, switching lanes with no signal. The cars in the other lane were so frightened that they began to pull over wherever they could. We were on the main roads, so many cars were around us.

Bow. Bow.

“What the hell was that?” I screamed before the truck began to veer to the left.

“They shot the back tire out,” Cash announced. Everything happened so fast as Moolah crawled to the back seat.

“I need you guys to duck down. If they have a gun, I don’t want to risk one of you getting hit,” I instructed.

Bow. Bow. Bow.

Bullets were ricocheting off the car, but they never broke through. Whoever was behind the wheel wanted us dead, and they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted. Chaos surrounded us. I heard a barrage of bullets and screeching tires. When I heard what sounded like the back window being let down, I completely lost my cool.

“What are you doing? Why are you letting the window down?” From the mirror, I saw Moolah with his back turned to me.

“Moolah, answer me!”

“Keep the car as straight as you can, Mama. Don’t worry.” An uncontrollable sob erupted from me as the driver rear-ended us again.

“Baby, I need you to listen to your son. Keep the car as straight as you can and keep driving.” I nodded as if Dinero could see me. This wasn’t the time for me to panic. My family depended on me, and I refused to let them down. My chest rose as I took a deep breath. My hands gripped the steering wheel as I focused on the road.You got this, girl.

“Moolah, be careful!” I yelled behind me.

“I got this, Mama.” Within seconds, we heard another set of bullets. Only this time, they were closer than before. From the side mirror, I witnessed the other car swerve off until it crashed into a utility pole. My hands were shaking so badly, but I kept driving.

“We lost them, Pops,” Moolah informed him, climbing back into the passenger seat. His sleeves were rolled up, but nothing else seemed out of place.

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